Gap filler for bed

ABSTRACT

In accordance with the present disclosure, a gap filler is provided for a bed that includes first and second barriers. The gap filler is configured to substantially fill a gap defined between the first and second barriers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/190,144, filed Jul. 3, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,954, issued Mar.16, 2004, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/528,372, filed Mar. 17, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,264, issuedAug. 6, 2002, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/125,375, filed Mar. 19, 1999, the disclosures ofwhich are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to accessories for hospital beds andparticularly to a hospital bed having barriers such as siderails,footboards, and headboards defining gaps therebetween. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to devices configured toclose or fill the gaps defined between the barriers.

It is known to provide beds with foot supporting sections which areextendable and retractable and which may be articulated downwardly, inconjunction with articulation of the head section upwardly, to form achair-type structure. One example of a hospital bed which provides bothof these functions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,548, which isexpressly incorporated herein by reference. A commercial embodiment of abed incorporating both of these features is sold by Hill-Rom, Inc.,Batesville, Ind. under the brand name The TotalCare7 Bed System.

When the foot section of the bed is retracted, a footboard coupled tothe foot section approaches both the heel of the patient and a foot endsiderail. The gap between the foot end siderail and the footboarddecreases as the foot section is retracted. The footboard is constructedof rigid materials which is eventually brought into direct contact withthe patient's feet.

According to the present invention, a bed is provided including abedframe having a head end and a foot end, a mattress positioned on thebedframe, a siderail coupled to the bedframe, and a board coupled to oneof the head and foot ends of the bedframe. The siderail and the boardcooperate to define a gap therebetween. The bed further includes a gapfiller coupled to the board to extend between the board and the siderailto substantially fill the gap defined therebetween.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a bed is providedincluding a bedframe, a mattress positioned on the bedframe, a firstbarrier coupled to the bedframe, and a second barrier coupled to thebedframe. The first and second barriers cooperate to define a gaptherebetween. The bed further includes a gap filler positioned to extendbetween the first and second barriers to substantially fill the gapdefined therebetween. The gap filler includes a top surface and a bottomsurface positioned to slide on the mattress during movement of the gapfiller relative to the mattress.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a bed is providedincluding a bedframe, a mattress positioned on the bedframe, a siderailcoupled to the bedframe, and a footboard coupled to the bedframe. Themattress and the siderail cooperate to define a mattress gaptherebetween. The siderail and the footboard cooperate to define asubstantial foot end gap therebetween. The bed further includes a gapfiller positioned on the mattress to substantially block the foot endgap and block at least a portion of the mattress gap.

Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art upon consideration of the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figuresin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hospital bed showing the hospital bedincluding a bedframe and a mattress positioned on the bedframe, thebedframe including an intermediate frame and an articulating deck, thebed further including a pair of head end siderails coupled to thebedframe, a pair of foot end siderails coupled to the bedframe, and agap filler extending between the footboard and the foot end siderail;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the gap filler and a portion of the deckshowing the gap filler including a pair of barriers and a web extendingbetween the barriers and each barrier including a frame having astraight and curved panels and a post configured to fit within a socketformed in the deck, a layer of foam positioned over the panels, a coverpositioned over the layer of foam, and a pair of tabs havinghook-and-loop type fasteners coupled to the cover;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a foot end of the hospital bed showingthe deck including a retractable foot section in a retracted positionwith the barriers positioned between the foot end siderails and themattress;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the retractable foot sectionin an extended position and one of the barriers removed from therespective pocket of the deck so that the barriers is supported by theweb to hang below the mattress;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the foot end of the hospital bed showingthe retractable foot section in the extended position, the foot sectionin the retracted position (in phantom), and the barriers of the gapfiller sliding in a space defined between the siderail and mattress;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the hospital bed of FIG. 1 showing thehospital bed in a chair configuration;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the footboard removed fromthe hospital bed;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the gap filler showing the gap fillerremoved from the frame and the tabs having the hook-and-loop typefasteners coupled together to hold the barriers adjacent one another;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9—9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment gap fillerincluding a pair of barriers coupled to handles of the footboard bystraps with the barriers extending between the footboard and foot endsiderails to close the gap therebetween and a footpad coupled to thefootboard by a strap extending between hand holes in the footboard ofthe bed;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11—11 of FIG. 10 showingthe foot section in the extended position;

FIG. 12 is view similar to FIG. 11 showing the foot section in theretracted position with a patient's foot contacting the footpad;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the footpad; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one of the barriers of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1, a hospital bed 10 is provided for supporting apatient (not shown). Hospital bed 10 includes a bedframe 12 and amattress 14 positioned on top of bedframe 12. Bedframe 12 includes ahead end 15, a foot end 17, a base frame 19, an intermediate frame 16coupled to base frame 19, an articulating deck 18 coupled tointermediate frame 16, and several barriers such as two pair of head andfoot end siderails 20, 22 coupled to intermediate frame 16, a footboardor transverse member 24 coupled to deck 18, and a headboard (not shown)coupled to head end 17. As shown in FIG. 5, footboard 24 and foot endsiderails 22 cooperate to define a pair of gaps 26, 28 therebetween.According to the present disclosure, hospital bed 10 further includes agap filler 30, as shown in FIG. 1, that extends between footboard 24 andfoot end siderails 22 to substantially fill in gaps 26, 28 and blockmovement of a patient from a foot end 32 of hospital bed 10.

Siderails 20, 22 are pivotably coupled to intermediate frame 16 so thata caregiver may raise and lower siderails 20, 22 to permit a patient 34to enter and leave bed 10. Deck 18 includes a head section 36, a seatsection 38 pivotably coupled to head section 36, and a foot section 40pivotably coupled to seat section 38. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, deck 18is configured to move from a bed position, as shown in FIG. 1, to achair configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, where foot section 40 dropsbelow seat section 38.

Foot section 40 is also retractable. As shown in FIG. 5, foot section 40moves from an extended position having an extended length 42 to aretracted position having a retracted length 44 that is less thanextended length 42. This permits the caregiver to adjust the overalllength of bed 10 in either the bed position or the chair position.Additional features and the operation of beds having retractable footsections are explained in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/120,125, filed Jul. 22, 1998, and in Weismiller et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,715,548, issued Feb. 10, 1998, the disclosures of which are expresslyincorporated by reference herein.

Patients often do not have full control of their extremities orfaculties. As a result, a patient's leg or other body part may move to aposition extending off of the surface of mattress 14 through gaps 26,28. To block this movement, gap filler 30, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5is provided for hospital bed 10 to prevent a patient's body part fromextending off of the surface of mattress 14. According to alternativeembodiments of the present disclosure, the gap filler extends betweenthe head end siderail and the headboard to block the gap definedtherebetween.

Gap filler 30 includes a right barrier 46, a left barrier 48, and a webor transverse member 50 extending between right and left barriers 46, 48as shown in FIG. 2. Right barrier 46 extends from footboard 24 to rightsiderail 22 to fill gap 26 as shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, left barrier48 extends from footboard 24 to left siderail 22 to fill gap 28.

As shown in FIG. 2, left barrier 48 includes a frame 51 having aplate-like spine 52 and a post 54 coupled to spine 52. Similarly, rightbarrier 46 includes a frame 55 having a plate-like spine 56 and a post58 coupled to spine 56. Spines 52, 56 and posts 54, 58 are preferablymade of aluminum. According to alternative embodiments, other rigid orsemi-rigid materials are used for the spines and posts such as othermetals or plastics materials. As shown in FIG. 2, each spine 52, 56includes a series of apertures 59 to reduce the overall weight ofbarriers 46, 48. Each barrier 46, 48 further includes a cover 61 havinga layer of resilient material 60, such as foam, positioned over therespective spines 52, 56 for padding and a sheath 62 covering therespective layer of resilient material 60.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a transverse member of bedframe 12 includes apair of nodes 64 coupled to foot section 40 of deck 18. Each node 64includes a socket 66 sized to receive an IV pole (not shown). Posts 54,58 are sized to fit in sockets 66 to couple right and left barriers 46,48 to foot section 40 of deck 18. When posts 54, 58 are positioned insockets 66, respective spines 52, 56 are cantilevered from posts 54, 56to extend between foot board 24 and siderails 22 as shown, for example,in FIG. 3.

A caregiver may temporarily move barriers 46, 48 from blocking gaps 26,28 to permit a patient to exit hospital bed 10. When gap filler 30 ispositioned on hospital bed 10, web 50 is positioned on deck 18 so thatmattress 14 is positioned on top of web 50. If posts 54, 58 are removedfrom the respective sockets 66, each respective barrier 46, 48 will hangbelow the upper support surface of mattress 14 as shown in FIG. 4. Thus,each barrier 46, 48 is hingedly coupled to deck 18 of bedframe 12 by web50 to pivot in direction 65 about a horizontal axis 73. This permits thecaregiver to move respective barriers 46, 48 from a blocking positionfilling gaps 26, 28, as shown in FIG. 3, to an unblocking position, asshown in FIG. 4, permitting a patient to exit hospital bed 10.

When barriers 46, 48 are coupled to bedframe 12 and web 50 is positionedunder mattress 14, web 50 prevents a patient from pushing barriers 46,48 outwardly opening gaps 26, 28. Web 50 is substantially taut whenpositioned under mattress 14 as shown, for example, in FIG. 2. Becauseweb 50 is taut, any outward movement of one of barriers 46, 48 urges theother respective barrier 46, 48 inwardly. However, mattress 14 blocksany substantial inward movement of the other respective barrier 48, 46and because web 50 is taut, web 50 prevents any substantial outwardmovement of the respective barrier 46, 48. Thus, when gap filler 30 ispositioned on bed 10, a patient cannot swing barriers 46, 48 outwardlyto open gaps 26, 28 to exit.

When foot end siderails 22 are in an up position, as shown in FIG. 1,they also prevent a patient from swinging barriers 46, 48 outwardly. Asshown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, each barrier 46, 48 includes an upperportion 67 and a lower portion 69 positioned between the respective footend siderail 22 and mattress 14. As shown in FIG. 5, mattress 14includes an upper support surface 71 and a pair of outer surfaces 68.Foot end siderails 22 each include an inner surface 70. Mattress 15 isstepped so that outer surfaces 68 and respective inner surfaces 70cooperate to define right and left spaces 72, 74 in which lower portions69 of respective right and left barriers 46, 48 are positioned duringnormal use as shown in FIG. 5.

Right and left barriers 46, 48 include innermost surfaces 76, 78 andoutermost surfaces 80, 82. If a patient attempts to swing either barrier46, 48 outwardly when respective foot end siderails 22 are in the upposition, outermost surfaces 80, 82 will strike inner surface 70 of therespective foot end siderail 22. Thus, when foot end siderails 22 are inthe up position, they block any outward movement of barriers 46, 48.

Mattress 14 blocks inward movement of barriers 46, 48 to prevent apatient from pulling barriers 46, 48 inwardly to open gaps 26, 28. Ifbarriers 46, 48 are pulled inwardly, innermost surfaces 76, 78 ofbarriers 46, 48 strike outer surfaces 68 of mattress 14. Thus, anysubstantial inward movement of barriers 46, 48 is blocked so that gaps26, 28 remain blocked.

Barriers 46, 48 are positioned on hospital bed 10 so that gaps 26, 28remain blocked when foot section 40 is retracted and extended. As shownin FIG. 5, outer surfaces 68 of mattress 14 taper at angled portions 84so that right and left spaces 72, 74 are also tapered. As foot section40 retracts, lower portions 69 of barriers 46, 48 slide in right andleft spaces 72, 74 relative foot end siderails 22 and mattress 14 towardrespective angled portions 84. Because right and left spaces 72, 74 areprovided, less resistance to the movement of barriers 46, 48 occurs andgaps 26, 28 remain blocked. Sliding of barriers 46, 48 relative tomattress 14 and foot end siderails 22, also permits hospital bed 10 tomove to a reclined chair position, as shown in FIG. 3, with littleresistance from gap filler 30. According to alternative embodiments ofthe present disclosure, mattresses of other configuration are used withthe gap filler including mattresses without spaces between the siderailand mattress.

Barriers 46, 48 are also configured to avoid interference with bedframecomponents and the patient as foot section 40 is retracted. As shown inFIG. 3, foot end siderails 22 include a rail member 86 and a linkagemechanism 88 coupling rail member 86 to intermediate frame 16. Barriers46, 48 are chamfered to avoid contact with linkage mechanism 88 as theyslide forward in spaces 72, 74.

As shown in FIG. 2, each barrier 46, 48 includes a generally straightpanel 90, 92 and a curved panel 94, 96 coupled to respective straightpanels 90, 92 and respective posts 54, 58. Straight panels 90, 92 andcurved panels 94, 96 are defined by respective spines 54, 56, layers ofresilient material 60, and sheaths 62. Each curved panel 94, 96 includesa first and second spaced-apart vertical edges 97, 99. Respective firstvertical edges 97 are coupled to straight panels 90, 92 and respectivesecond vertical edges 99 are coupled to posts 54, 56.

As shown in FIG. 2, each straight panel 90, 92 includes a top edge 110,a bottom edge 112 a substantially vertical edge 118, a top chamferededge 122 extending from respective vertical edges 118 to respective topedges 110, and a bottom chamfered edge 126 extending from respectivevertical edges 118 to respective bottom edges 112. Chamfered edges 122,126 are preferably angled at 45° relative to respective vertical edges118. According to alternative embodiments, the chamfered edges taper atother angles relative to the vertical edge or are rounded. According toyet another alternative embodiment, the chamfered edges and the verticaledges cooperate to define a rounded edge.

Bottom chamfered edges 126 provide clearance between each barrier 46, 48and linkage mechanism 88 to permit gap filler 30 to avoid striking footend siderails 22. As barriers 46, 48 move forward during retraction offoot section 40, bottom chamfered edges 126 move over linkage mechanism88 to avoid interference between barriers 46, 48 and foot end siderails22. Thus, by tapering barriers 46, 48, additional travel of barriers 46,48 relative to foot end siderails 22 is provided without interference.

As previously mentioned, bedframe 12 is configured to move between thebed position, as shown in FIG. 1, and the chair position as shown inFIG. 6. When in the chair position, barriers 46, 48 move to a verticalorientation. When in the vertical position, barriers 46, 48 continue tofill gaps 26, 28 as shown in FIG. 6.

Footboard 24 is removable from foot section 40 as shown in FIG. 7. Whenfootboard 24 is removed, a patient seated in hospital bed 10 may standup from a seated position. As shown in FIG. 3, footboard 24 includes abase 128 removably coupled to foot section 40 of deck 18 and a pair ofhandles 130 coupled to base 128. Base 128 and handles 130 cooperate todefine a pair of hand holes 132 therebetween.

Base 128 includes a substantially planar middle section 129 and twoarcuate end sections 131. Middle section 129 includes a first verticalsurface 134 facing toward mattress 14, a second vertical surface 136facing away from vertical surface 134, a top edge 138, and a bottom edge140. Arcuate end sections 131 include a pair of vertical edges 142extending from top edge 136 to bottom edge 138.

Vertical edges 142 of footboard 24 are positioned between and adjacentto the respective curved panels 94, 96 of barriers 46, 48. The curvatureprovided by curved panels 94, 96 permits posts 54, 58 to fit withinsockets 66 and barriers 46, 48 to wrap around edges 142 of footboard 24.This also provides clearance between curved panels 94, 96 and footboard24. This clearance facilitates a caregiver in removing footboard 24 fromfoot section 40 of deck 18 with little or no interference with barriers46, 48 so that a patient's feet may reach the floor when assuming thestanding position.

Gap filler 30 is also removable from hospital bed 10. To remove gapfiller 30 from hospital bed 10, a caregiver removes posts 54, 58 fromsockets 66 as shown in FIG. 2. The caregiver then folds a foot end ofmattress 14 toward a head end of hospital bed 10 and web 50 isaccessible so that gap filler 30 can be removed from foot section 40 ofdeck 18.

After removal, a caregiver can fold gap filler 30 into to a compact sizefor storage as shown in FIG. 8. To fold gap filler 30 to the storageposition, the caregiver folds barriers 46, 48 inwardly so that innermostsurfaces 76, 78 lie against web 50. Then the caregiver folds barriers46, 48 inwardly again so that outermost surfaces 80, 82 are adjacent oneanother as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Gap filler 30 further includes a pairof tabs 144, 146 coupled to sheaths 62 of respective barriers 46, 48.Coupled to tabs 144, 146 are Velcro-brand hook-and-loop fasteners thatcouple to one another to couple barriers 46, 48 together in the storageposition. Tabs 144, 146 cooperate to define a handle 143 to facilitatecarrying gap filler 30 when removed from bed 10.

When in the storage position, barriers 46, 48 are positioned adjacent toone another and web 50 is positioned around left and right barriers 46,48. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, each barrier has a length 145, a width147, and a thickness 151. As shown in FIG. 9, right and left barriers46, 48 cooperate to define a space 153 therebetween having a width 157.Web 50 has a length 159 (shown best in FIG. 2) approximately equal tothe sum of widths 147 and thicknesses 151 of barriers 46, 48 and width157 of space 153 so that web 50 wraps around left and right barriers 46,48. According to alternative embodiments, the barriers lie substantiallyflat together when in the storage position so that a space definedtherebetween is very small having a width that is also very small.

When foot supporting section 40 of bed 10 is retracted, it is typicallyretracted until rigid footboard 24 comes into contact with the patient'soutstretched feet. During retraction heel portion 46 of the air mattresssection is often deflated, as shown, for example, in FIG. 12, to relievestress on the patient's heel. To minimize any discomfort resulting fromcontact of footboard 24 with the patient's outstretched feet, a footpad148 is attached to patient-facing side 134 of footboard 24. Footpad 148in accordance with the present disclosure includes a cushion 149 andstraps 152, 154 for attaching cushion 149 to footboard 24 of bed 10. Asshown in FIG. 13, cushion 149 includes a cover 150 having externaldimensions sized to be received on footboard 24 and an internalcompressible filler 155. The described footpad 148 is specificallyconfigured for use with the commercial version of the TotalCare7 BedSystem, but it is to be understood that other configurations of footpadsadapted for use with other beds having retractable foot supportingsections are within the teaching of the disclosure.

Cover 150 of footpad 148 is formed from a suitable material such asPENN-NYLA material, a water impermeable material. As shown in FIG. 13,cover 150 is a substantially rectangular box shape and includes afoot-engaging surface 156, a footboard-engaging surface 158, a left sidewall 160, a right side wall 162, a bottom side wall 164, and a top sidewall 166. Each side wall 162, 160, 164, 166 extends betweenfoot-engaging surface 156 and footboard-engaging surface 158 to formcover 150 having an interior. Foot-engaging surface 156 andfootboard-engaging surface 158 of cover 150 are both rectangular. Cover150 may be formed from multiple panels or from an appropriatelyconfigured single panel.

In the illustrated embodiment seams 168 are formed between left sidewall 160 and top side wall 166, left side wall 160 andfootboard-engaging surface 158, top side wall 166 and footboard-engagingsurface 158, right side wall 162 and footboard-engaging surface 158,right side wall 162 and top side wall 166, right side wall 162 andbottom side wall 164, bottom side wall 164 and footboard-engagingsurface 158, and bottom side wall 164 and left side wall 160. Each ofthese seams 168, with the exception of seam 170 between left side 160wall and footboard-engaging surface 158 are formed by Ultrasonic weldingthe material forming the panels. Seam 170 between left side wall 160 andfootboard-engaging surface 158 is not initially welded to facilitateinsertion of filler 155 and attachment of tags 148. Initially seam 170is left open providing an opening to the interior of cover 150.

In the illustrated embodiment internal compressible filler 155 is formedfrom a single block of compressible foam material. A fire barrier, notillustrated is positioned between the foam material block and the cover.During assembly all of seams 168 of cover 150 are ultrasonic welded asdescribed above leaving an opening along the length of seam 170 betweenleft side wall 160 and footboard-engaging surface 158. Internalcompressible filler block 110 is compressed and inserted through theopening and manipulated to expand to fill the interior of cover 150.Required tags 148 are then inserted in length of seam 170 between leftside wall 160 and footboard-engaging surface 158 and length of seam 170is sewn shut.

Footpad 148 also includes straps 152, 154 having buckle 174 tofacilitate attachment of footpad 148 to footboard. Both straps 152, 154have a first end 176 and a second end 178. Illustratively both straps152, 154 are formed of PENN-NYLA material. First end 176 of strap 152 isultrasonic welded to right side of footboard-engaging surface 158. Firstend 176 of strap 154 is ultrasonic welded to left side offootboard-engaging surface 158. Buckle 174 is slid past second end 178of strap 154 to be received on strap 154 which is then folded over upon,and RF welded to, itself to secure buckle 174 to strap 154.

To attach footpad 148 to footboard 24, footboard-engaging surface 158 isplaced against patient-facing side 102 of footboard 24. Strap 152 isthen inserted through one hand hole 132 and strap 154 is insertedthrough the other hand hole 132. Second end 178 of strap 152 is insertedthrough buckle 174 on strap 154 and pulled taut to secure footpad 148 tofootboard 138.

An alternative embodiment gap filler 210 is shown in FIGS. 10–12 and 14.Gap filler 210 includes a pair of barriers 212, 214 and straps 216coupling barriers 212, 214 to transverse member or footboard 24. Strap216 includes connectors 222 for securing gap filler 210 to footboard 24.Each barrier 212, 214 includes a cover 218 and a resilient compressiblefiller 220 positioned within cover 218.

Cover 218 is formed to include a patient-facing surface 226 and a spacedapart substantially parallel rail-facing surface 224. As shown in FIG.14, a top surface 228, a bottom surface 230, and an end surface 232extend substantially perpendicularly between patient-facing surface 226and rail-facing surface 224. Cover 218 also includes an inclined wall234 extending between patient-facing surface 226 and rail-facing surface224 to form a footboard-engaging wedge 236. Inclined surface 234 joinspatient-facing surface 226 at an acute angle, as shown, for example, inFIG. 14. Illustratively cover 218 is formed from penn-nyla material andmay be formed from properly configured single or multi-panelsappropriately joined together in the shape shown in FIG. 14.

Illustratively compressible filler 220 is formed from a single block offoam material and is sized to fit within the interior of cover 218.Filler 220 of gap filler 210 is stiffer than foam material used forfiller 155 in footpad 148. This additional stiffness is the result ofthe use of less compressible foam or thicker foam in forming gap filler210 as compared to footpad 148.

Strap 216 is attached to seam 238 formed between inclined surface 234and patient-facing surface 226. Strap 216 is sized to wrap around anouter portion 240 of handle 130 formed in blow molded footboard 24 asshown, for example, in FIG. 10. Strap 216 includes connectors 222, suchas snaps, so that connectors 222 can be joined after strap 216 iswrapped around handle 130 to secure gap filler 210 to footboard 24.

It should be understood that gap filler 210 described herein isspecifically configured for use with the commercial version of theTotalCare7 Bed System, but that barriers configured for other bedshaving retractable or non-retractable foot sections are within theteachings of the disclosure. According to alternative embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the gap filler extends between the head end siderailand the headboard.

When attached to bed 10, bottom surface 230 of gap filler 210 rests uponfoot section 242 of mattress 14, the portion of rail-facing surface 224near end wall 232 abuts patient-facing side 244 of foot end siderail 22,and wedge 236 abuts footboard 24. When retractable foot section 40 ofbed 10 is fully extended, gap filler 210 extends between footboard 24and foot end siderail 22 to close gaps 26, 28 therebetween as shown, forexample, in FIGS. 10–12. As foot section 40 is retracted, bottom surface230 of gap filler 210 slides along mattress 14 in the direction of arrow246 in FIG. 11 more of rail-facing surface 224 near end wall 232 of gapfiller 210 abuts siderail 22 as end wall 232 is pushed toward the headof bed 10. As foot section 40 of bed 10 is extended bottom surface 230of gap filler 210 slides along mattress 14 in the direction of arrow 248in FIG. 12 to return to the position shown in FIG. 10. Thus, gap filler210 closes gaps 26, 28 between foot end siderails 22 and footboard 24while retractable foot section 40 is in both the extended and retractedpositions without inhibiting extension or retraction of foot section 40of bed 10.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference topreferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within thescope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in thefollowing claims.

1. A patient support including: a frame including a foot end and a headend separated by opposing longitudinal sides; a board supported by oneof the foot and head ends of the frame; a first siderail supported byone of the longitudinal sides; a second siderail supported by theopposing longitudinal side; a first barrier positioned to extend betweenthe first siderail and the board to substantially fill a first gapdefined therebetween; a second barrier positioned to extend between thesecond siderail and the board to substantially fill a second gap definedtherebetween; and a connecting member coupling the first and secondbarriers together.
 2. The patient support of claim 1, wherein theconnecting member is a web positionable under a mattress.
 3. The patientsupport of claim 1, wherein the first barrier is positionable between amattress and the first siderail.
 4. The patient support of claim 1,wherein the second barrier is positionable between a mattress and thesecond siderail.
 5. A patient support including, a frame including afoot end and a head end separated by opposing longitudinal sides, aboard supported by one of the foot and head ends of the frame, a firstsiderail supported by one of the longitudinal sides, a second siderailsupported by the opposing longitudinal side, a mattress positioned onthe frame, a first barrier positioned to extend between the firstsiderail and the board to substantially fill a first gap definedtherebetween, the first barrier including a substantially horizontalportion and a substantially vertical portion, the horizontal portionextending under the mattress, and a second barrier positioned to extendbetween the second siderail and the board to substantially fill a secondgap defined therebetween, the second barrier including a substantiallyhorizontal portion and a substantially vertical portion, the horizontalportion extending under the mattress.
 6. The patient support of claim 5,wherein the first and second barriers are coupled together.
 7. Thepatient support of claim 6, wherein the horizontal portions of the firstand second barriers are connected.
 8. The patient support of claim 5,wherein the first and second barriers include a foam portion.
 9. Thepatient support of claim 5, wherein the first and second barriersinclude a cover.
 10. The patient support of claim 5, wherein the firstbarrier defines a first longitudinal axis that is parallel with a secondlongitudinal axis defined by the first siderail.
 11. The patient supportof claim 10, wherein the second barrier defines a longitudinal axis thatis parallel with a longitudinal defined by the second siderail.
 12. Apatient support including: a frame including a foot end and a head endseparated by opposing longitudinal sides; a board supported by one ofthe foot and head ends of the frame, the board including a firstvertical edge and a second vertical edge; a first siderail supported byone of the longitudinal sides; a second siderail supported by theopposing longitudinal side; a first siderail gap defined between thefirst siderail and the board; a second siderail gap defined between thesecond siderail and the board; a first barrier positioned tosubstantially fill the first siderail gap, the first barrier extendingfrom the first siderail to the first vertical edge; and a second barrierpositioned to substantially fill the second siderail gap, the secondbarrier being coupled to the first barrier.
 13. The patient support ofclaim 2, wherein the first and second barriers are coupled together by aweb.
 14. The patient support of claim 13, wherein the web ispositionable below a mattress.
 15. The patient support of claim 12,wherein the first barrier substantially fills the first siderail gap andthe second barrier substantially fills the second siderail gap.
 16. Thepatient support of claim 12, wherein a transverse member couples thefirst and second barriers together.
 17. The patient support of claim 12,wherein the first barrier includes a longitudinally extending portionand a transversely extending portion.
 18. The patient support of claim12, wherein the second barrier includes a longitudinally extendingportion and a transversely extending portion.
 19. The patient support ofclaim 12, further comprising a mattress having a patient rest surface.20. The patient support of claim 19, wherein the first barrier includesa first portion positionable above the patient rest surface and a secondportion positionable below the patient rest surface of the mattress. 21.The patient support of claim 20, wherein the first portion includes afoam material.
 22. A patient support including, a frame including a footend and a head end separated by opposing longitudinal sides, a boardcoupled to one of the foot and head ends of the frame, a first siderailpositioned on one of the longitudinal sides, a second siderailpositioned on the opposing longitudinal side, a mattress positioned onthe frame and defining a patient rest surface, a first barrierpositioned to extend between the first siderail and the board tosubstantially fill a first gap defined therebetween, a second barrierpositioned to extend between the second siderail and the board tosubstantially fill a second gap defined therebetween, and a transversemember configured to couple the first and second barriers together. 23.The patient support of claim 22, wherein the transverse member is aportion of the frame that extends transversely between the first andsecond barriers.
 24. The patient support of claim 22, wherein thetransverse member is flexible.
 25. The patient support of claim 23,wherein the transverse member is positioned between the mattress and theframe.
 26. The patient support of claim 22, further including a secondtransverse member configured to couple the first and second barrierstogether.
 27. The patient support of claim 22, wherein the first andsecond barriers are positioned between the mattress and the first andsecond siderails, respectively.
 28. The patient support of claim 22,wherein a first portion of the first barrier is above the patient restsurface and a second portion of the first barrier is below patient restsurface.
 29. The patient support of claim 22, wherein the transversemember is positioned at a longitudinal end of barriers.
 30. The patientsupport of claim 22, wherein the transverse member is spaced apart froma longitudinal end of barriers.
 31. The patient support of claim 22,wherein a portion of a transverse member is positioned above the patientrest surface.
 32. The patient support of claim 22, wherein a portion ofa transverse member is positioned below the patient rest surface.